New Tennessee Titans #1 draft choice Chris Johnson hails from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. With his 4.24 speed in the 40-yard dash, Johnson is definitely gifted, and if things work out, he’ll add an exciting dimension to the Titans’ needful offense. (Vince Young clearly not being exciting enough. Unless you think Chinese fire drills are exciting.) Johnson also is a demon kick-off returner, and it’s actually possible that he could score more touchdowns in that role in ’08 than Young will throw as the QB. (VY had all of 9 TD passes last season. Not exactly on the fast track.)
For the sake of history, here’s a look at all the players ever drafted out of East Carolina. I guess we shouldn’t use this list as an indicator of Johnson’s potential pro success, ‘cause based on hits and misses, ECU’s track record looks mediocre. Three names jump off the list: current Jaguars QB David Garrard; former journeyman QB Jeff Blake; and former running back Earnest Byner, who had an excellent 14-year NFL career, won a Super Bowl ring with the ‘91 Redskins, and who just happens to be the Titans’ running backs coach. There are a few other ex-NFL names on this list (Tony Collins, Jerris McPhail, etc.), but ECU historically is not a hotbed of NFL All-Pros. (Sorry. It had to be said.)
But, hey, see if you can spot some of your favorite players from the past. (If it's Carlester Crumpler, you score twice: both father and son were ECU draft choices.)
ALL-TIME EAST CAROLINA FOOTBALL DRAFT HISTORY
(year, round, pick, overall pick, name, team, pos)
2008, 1, 24, 24, Chris Johnson, Titans, RB
2007, 5, 9, 146, Aundrae Allison, Vikings, WR
2006, 4, 32, 129, Guy Whimper, Giants, OT
2004, 7, 45, 246, Brian Rimpf, Ravens, OT
2002, 4, 10, 108, David Garrard, Jaguars, QB
2002, 7, 30, 241, Leonard Henry, Dolphins, RB
1999, 5, 20, 153, Roderick Coleman, Raiders, DE
1999, 6, 32, 201, Troy Smith, Eagles, WR
1998, 3, 21, 82, Larry Shannon, Dolphins, WR
1997, 5, 1, 131, Lamont Burns, Jets, OG
1996, 4, 16, 111, Emmanuel McDaniel, Panthers, DB
1996, 5, 2, 134, Jerris McPhail, Dolphins, RB
1994, 6, 4, 165, Bernard Carter, Buccaneers, LB
1994, 7, 8, 202, Carlester Crumpler, Jr., Seahawks, TE
1993, 6, 8, 148, Tom Scott, Bengals, OT
1992, 1, 24, 24, Robert Jones, Cowboys, LB
1992, 6, 26, 166, Jeff Blake, Jets, QB
1992, 8, 14, 210, Luke Fisher, Vikings, TE
1992, 9, 26, 250, Chris Hall, Cowboys, DB
1992, 10, 22, 274, Dion Johnson, Oilers, WR
1991, 9, 3, 226, Ernie Logan, Falcons, DE
1990, 3, 14, 67, Walter Wilson, Chargers, WR
1990, 5, 1, 110, Junior Robinson, Patriots, DB
1990, 7, 14, 179, James Singletary, Colts, LB
1990, 10, 27, 275, Anthony Thompson, Broncos, LB
1988, 8, 5, 198, Anthony Simpson, Buccaneers, RB
1988, 10, 4, 253, Ellis Dillahunt, Bengals, DB
1986, 6, 27, 165, Kevin Walker, Buccaneers, DB
1986, 10, 3, 252, Tony Baker, Falcons, RB
1985, 3, 24, 80, Stefon Adams, Raiders, DB
1985, 8, 4, 200, Ricky Nichols, Colts, WR
1984, 2, 27, 55, Steve Hamilton, Redskins, DE
1984, 4, 27, 111, Terry Long, Steelers, OG
1984, 5, 3, 115, Clint Harris, Giants, DB
1984, 5, 13, 125, Jeff Pegues, Redskins, LB
1984, 5, 21, 133, Hal Stephens, Rams, DE
1984, 10, 1, 253, Norwood Vann, Rams, TE
1984, 10, 28, 280, Earnest Byner, Browns, RB
1984, 11, 4, 284, John Robertson, Eagles, OT
1983, 2, 18, 46, Jody Schulz, Eagles, LB
1982, 4, 2, 85, George Crump, Patriots, DE
1982, 4, 7, 90, Tootie Robbins, Cardinals, OT
1981, 2, 19, 47, Tony Collins, Patriots, RB
1980, 11, 11, 288, Sam Harrell, Vikings, RB
1980, 12, 9, 314, Mike Brewington, Chiefs, LB
1979, 2, 28, 56, Zack Valentine, Steelers, LB
1979, 6, 21, 158, Eddie Hicks, Giants, RB
1978, 6, 28, 166, Harold Randolph, Cowboys, LB
1977, 6, 27, 166, Reggie Pinkney, Lions, DB
1974, 4, 2, 80, Carl Summerell, Giants, QB
1974, 4, 17, 95, Carlester Crumpler, Bills, RB
1973, 16, 1, 391, Tim Dameron, Oilers, WR
1973, 17, 22, 438, Leslie Strayhorn, Cowboys, RB
1969, 17, 1, 417, Wayne Lineberry, Bills, LB
1964, 14, 5, 187, Tom Michel, Vikings, RB
1961, 5, 8, 64, Glenn Bass, Cardinals, TE
1951, 28, 12, 339, Roger Thrift, Browns, QB
Titans Draft Lowdown
Uncritical Titans fans were filled with hope by the team’s weekend draft choices. Count me out. Reinfeldt 2.0 is a gambler’s delight, a roll of the dice on just about every pick, with only vague attention to need. For example, who’s replacing Jacob Bell, the offensive guard lost to free agency? Who’s playing defensive tackle next to Albert Haynesworth? Who’s backing up #2 QB Kerry Collins, who’s getting old but will probably see some action in ’08 since VY runs around a lot in those Chinese fire drills and could get injured? Not a good sign when a draft evokes more questions than it answers. Here are the newbies, by round:
1. RB Chris Johnson, ECU—Fantastic speed. Once he’s loose, he’s gone. I say build the offense around him. (Sorry, Vince. Just concentrate on throwing those screen passes to the new kid. You’ll be fine.)
2. DE Jason Jones, Eastern Michigan—What the...? Dude “amassed” 3.5 sacks in ’07... in the Mid-American Conference. You know, the MAC? Famous for its manhandling perennial All-Pro defensive linemen? Uh...no.
3. TE Craig Stevens, Cal—Welcome to Nashville, Craig. Take a seat. That one right there. No, a little further down. Past high-priced free agent Alge Crumpler and down beyond veteran Bo Scaife. We’ll let ya know when we need ya. From NFL.com: “His style is similar to Anthony Becht. He is a decent underneath receiver but not suited to go deep.” Holy crap! We got an Anthony Becht clone! Now that’s good work.
4. DE William Hayes, Winston-Salem St.—Can you say “bastard step-child of Refrigerator Perry”? Maybe they can give him the ball on goal-line situations. A project. From NFL.com: “Hayes is a bit of a surprise at this point in the draft.” Agreed.
4. WR LaVelle Hawkins, Cal—LaVelle Hawkins? Oh, I thought you said DeSean Jackson, the other Cal receiver. (Damn!) Oh, well, in order to get him we’d’ve had to have passed on Jason Jones in Round 2. NFL.com: “Even though his physical numbers are not real strong, he's an example of a player who plays much faster than he works out.” Well, I’ll be—it’s the second coming of Paul Williams, ‘07’s fly-by-night West Coast receiver.
4. LB Stanford Keglar, Purdue—Possible sleeper. NFL.com: “His toughness is one possible question mark.” Well, that’s not good.
7. CB Cary Williams, Washburn—Fascinating fact: This guy played first string at...are you ready...? FORDHAM...before transferring to...still ready...? WASHBURN. The odds of Mr. Williams making a pro roster are slim and none. But he’s the fitting capper to a really weird Titans draft.
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